


Innocent Hearts

by Cerch



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Kid Arthur, Kid Merlin, M/M, Marriage, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2710079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerch/pseuds/Cerch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is staying over at Merlin's and appears in the middle of the night to ask Hunith about something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Innocent Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on last Friday to celebrate after Finnish parliament voted for the equal marriage law. So umm, hopefully lots of cuteness?
> 
> Huge thanks to [digthewriter](http://digthewriter.livejournal.com/) for lighting fast beta <3 All remaining mistakes are mine.

Hunith is nursing a cup of tea in front of some pointless TV drama she isn’t even trying to follow when the door to the living room cracks open behind her, making her peer over her shoulder to the shadowed doorway.

“Merlin?” she asks, puzzled. She put the boys to sleep hours ago. “What is it, darling?”

The door creaks open some more, and the figure steps forward into the dim light of the room. Much to her surprise, it’s not Merlin but Arthur.

“It’s me, Miss” he says sheepishly, staring at his toes. It makes her smile fondly, no matter how much she wished he would call her Hunith. She used to tell him otherwise, to be at home, but she has gotten to know the boy better after seeing him with Uther, his father. Arthur bowed like a blade of grass in front of him, calling him “sir” in a quiet voice that barely seemed willing to leave his lips. It had dawned on Hunith then that Arthur probably didn’t understand what being "at home" meant and next time the boy had come over she had kindly but firmly explained that Arthur was always welcome to their home, and that whatever Merlin was entitled to, he was as well.

Arthur always behaves like a perfect quest, though, unless Merlin manages to drag him into some ridiculous mischief. It is strange for him to be up and about without Merlin.

“Is everything alright?” she asks, setting her cup on the table.

Arthur shuffles his feet uncertainly and then carefully edges closer.

“Yes, of course,” Arthur says, still apparently talking to the floor. “I just had a question about something.”

“What is it, dear?” she asks. She can’t for the life of her imagine what this could be about. Arthur looks at her, frowns, and looks back down. A little concerned, she picks up a red woollen blanket from the sofa, where it clashes horribly with its blue covers, and walks around it to Arthur, kneeling down to his level and carefully placing the blanket to his small shoulders. It engulfs him completely, but he smiles happily, his mouth opening to a crooked grin that he usually reserves for Merlin.

“It’s just,” he starts, and frowns again. “At dinner you said that you got invited to Sophia and Vivian’s wedding.”

Her heart clenches a little when she grasps where this conversation is going and prepares herself to explain to the best of her ability.

“And, so, well – I was wondering. Because they’re both girls so, well, how can they get married? Father says that boys can only marry girls and that girls can only marry boys.”

Hunith sighs inwardly and curses Uther Pendragon to the deepest pits of hell. “Some people think that way. But if two people love each other very much they can get married no matter what. There are no borders when it comes to love.” It’s hard, finding the words. She fears she isn’t doing a very good job about this, until suddenly Arthur’s face lights up like a new dawn.

“So I can marry Merlin when I grow up?”

She stares at him for a moment, speechless, and since she is unable to form words, she kisses his forehead, instead. “Of course you can.” It might come out a bit more forcefully than she intended.

Arthur continues grinning. “Thank you, Miss Hunith,” he chirps. “I should go back to bed. I don’t want Merlin to be afraid if he wakes up and I’m not there.” He tiptoes to the door, still tightly wrapped inside the blanket, and looks at Hunith just before the door is about to close between them. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Hunith mutters to the closed door, slightly dazzled. Then she scrambles up to record the date and time to her diary. They might be only children, and they might not even stay as friends, but somehow she can’t help believing that someday she might get to tell all about this on their wedding day.

Merlin and Arthur have felt like destiny from the day one.

**Author's Note:**

> *sprinkles happiness around* 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
